HighScope preschool education approach is an Open Framework, that organizes the children’s and teacher’s environment, daily routine, and interactions. The Framework gives the teaching team a systematic method of planning, organizing, and caring out their preschool responsibilities. For the children, the Framework provides a consistent and secure daily experience that promises interesting things to do, attention by their teachers to their interest and needs, and a sense of control over themselves and their environment.

The framework is Open because the experiences teachers plan for children foster independent thinking, initiative, and creativity. Children’s cognitive, social, emotional and physical capacities develop quickly when they can use materials and their imaginations freely in an environment that promotes investigation, decision-making, cooperation, persistence, and problem-solving. The capacities that children develop in this Open Framework are broad abilities that children can and do use daily in the classroom as well as at home.